Virtual mail domain

The following text is about e-mail addresses that look like this one:

Name@Institution.uni-koeln.de

Such addresses normally require that the institution which is named at the end of the address runs its own mail server. Otherwise users have to settle with an e-mail address like Name@uni-koeln.de. As the above mentioned address is very popular with a lot of users in order to express an affiliation with a certain institution, the RRZK established a so-called virtual e-mail domain. This way we can create a certain e-mail address, the only condition would be that you have an employee account.

Note: The administrative effort for establishing such a domain is high. That is the reason why this is primarily thought to be an substitute option for employees who used to have an e-mail address provided by a mail server of their institution. Such a domain will not be established as a contact address. If you would like to have a contact address, please use this application form.

Applying for a virtual domain

Heads and administrators of university institutions can apply for a virtual mail domain with an informal letter or e-mail. The application (to the RRZK, attn: Herrn Hagedorn or via e-mail to Postmaster) should contain:

The requested domain name (above mentioned as "institution", for example "rechenzentrum"), capitalization carries no weight, hyphens are possible.

An administrator who needs to own an employee account (please tell us the name of the employee account as well as the e-mail address and phone number).

Now that the RRZK established a mail domain for the institution, employees can apply for an e-mail alias in the virtual domain. Please use the online form for the application. This way we can generate an additional e-mail address (as it is common for alias addresses). The already existing addresses usercode@uni-koeln.de and possibly Name@uni-koeln.de continue to exist.

Application for an e-mail alias in the virtual mail domain

The starting website for applying for an e-mail alias in the virtual domain is

Here, you can register with your user identification and the password for your employee account.

Please enter the following date in the next window:

First and Last Name,

the virtual mail domain (via the dropdown menu)

your requested e-mail alias name (e.g. Haiko.Luepsen)(has to start with a letter and can only contain letters, numbers,"." and "-")This name does not have to be identical with the alias name of your e-mail address Name@uni-koeln.de

Processing of the application

This online application will be send to the respective administrator of the institution which virtual mail domain you chose. If the administrator approves your application we can generate the e-mail alias and you can start using it about one hour later. If the application cannot be approved you will receive an automatically generated notifying e-mail.

Hints for administrators of virtual mail domains

The administrator of an institution which virtual main domain was chosen for an online application, receives an e-mail with two links: One is for approving the application and the other one is for rejecting the application. It is sufficient to click on the correct link which should lead you to another website. (the content of this website is not important for you)

If the administrator does not react to the e-mail within two weeks, the application is regarded as rejected and the applicant will receive the corresponding e-mail notification.

Contact
If you have any questions or problems, please contact the RRZK-Helpdesk